Needle bevel maintainer and hone



June 9, 1942. J. G. KURTZ NEEDLE BEVEL MAINTAINER AND HONE Filed May21', 19.40

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 9, 1942. Y J, uR z 2,286,141

NEEDLE BEVEL MAINTAINER AND BONE Filed May 21, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I3mm 3/ 7/ 6742/66 jiia fz Patented June 9, 1942 UNlTED STATES PATENTOFFICE NEEDLE BEVEL MAINTAINER AND HONE Jules G. Kurtz, PhiIadeIphiaJPa.

Application May 21, 1940, Serial No. 336,468

7 Claims.

Thepresent invention relates to a device for honing or sharpeninghypodermic needles.

An object of this invention is to provide a device enabling the honingof the needle 'point at any desired angle of bevel and insure that theoriginal bevel of the needle point is maintained during resharpening orhoning, even when the work is performed by an inexperienced, unskilledor careless person.

Hypodermic needles are manufactured, generally, in three types withreference to the bevel at the point of the needle: the long bevel, whichis by far the most commonly used for medication and which is easier ofpenetration and makes the injection more painless than the shorterbevels; the medium bevel, which is used for spinal and intravenousdiagnostic and medication work; and the short bevel also used for lessdepth penetration spinal and intravenous work including Schick and Dicktests.

An object of this invention is to provide a honing device which may beinitially manufactured with any desired number of adjustments, such asthree, to adapt the device for quick, easy and accurate setting forhoning the long, medium or short needles to be resharp-ened. Forspecialor diiferent needle point bevels the device may havecorresponding adjustments; all of the adjustments are for holding theneedle at the proper angle to the stone and also with the bevel face ina plane arallel to the plane of the stone surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which requiresbut a few strokes of the adjusted needle over the stone, or othersharpening element, to restore a keen edge to the needle; and a devicerequiring no electric or other motor or device for its operation butwhich is manually adjusted and operated and comprises an inexpensivedevice of few parts easily adjusted and not easy to get out of order.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of the honing device of thisinvention, the mounting for the device being shown in the form of acasing.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken on theline 22 of Figure 1 through the needle holder, rest and bevel plane thesection being taken through the needle holder seated on the rest.

Figure 4 is a detail enlarged sectional view through the needle clamp asshown in Figure 2, the needle being removed to show the seat or groovetherefor, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary point end view of a group of needles showingthe approximate standard bevels of the points thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, the honing or sharpening device is shownin the present instance as mounted upon a baseboard IU of any suitabledimensions and which, in the present instance, may comprise the bottomof a box or casing. The box or casing comprises a rear flange llextending along the rear side of the baseboard l6 and extending upwardlytherefrom for connection to a second flange l2 through hinges l3, theflange I2 being a rear wall portion of an enclosing flange cover l4adapted to house therein the device of this invention when the cover I4is swung over upon the hinges 13. If desired, the baseboard :0 may havea cushion or a pad I5 at its under-,

side to prevent injury to tables, desks and the like upon which theinstrument may be placed when in use.

The baseboard 10 carries a needle holder in the form of a sleeve l6 openat its inner end to receive therein a bar H, the sleeve l6 adapted to beaxially turned or positioned upon the bar I! into different axiallyangular positions with respect thereto for the adjustment of the needleholder. The bar I! is connected by a pivot pin l8 to a post I9 which isswiveled or otherwise mounted for rotation upon the baseboard 10 nearthe rear edge thereof and intermediate the opposite ends of thebaseboard. The needle holder is adapted to be swung upwardly in avertical plane upon the pivot 18 and is adapted to be swung horizontallyas shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 by the turning of the post l9.

Any suitable means may be provided for determining desired fixed angularpositions with respect to the bar I! and the sleeve 16. In the presentinstance three sets of openings 20 are provided in the bar and sleeve,the openings of each set being adapted to register and the sets ofopenings being disposed in axially angular relation in the bar so thatthe sleeve 16 must be turned upon the bar I! into the respectiveposition for the registry of the selected set of openings 20.

The outer end of the sleeve I6 is provided with a needle clamp in theform of a fixed jaw 2| which is fiat at its outer side and provided, asshown in Figure 4, with a cross groove or seat 22 of suitable size forreceiving therein the shanks of the needles, as shown in Figures 2 and 3The needle is held to the fixed jaw 22 by a pivoted jaw 23 which mayhave lugs 24 at its opposite edges extending rearwardly and overlappingthe edge portions of the fixed jaw 2| and pivotally connected thereto bya cross-pin 25 or the like so that the jaw 23 may be swung upwardly onthe pin 25 to admit the shank of the needle between the jaws and so thatthe pivoted jaw 23 may be swung downwardly to hold the shank of theneedle in the groove or seat 22. A binding screw 25 is threaded throughthe upper portion of the pivoted jaw 23 and is provided with an enlargedthumb piece or handle 21 at its outer end to facilitate turning of thescrew 26 to bind against the upper portion of the fixed jaw 2| forswinging the pivoted jaw 23 downwardly and binding and clamping theshank of the needle in its seat 22.

Disposed in arcuate or circular relation to the outer end of the needleholder, and toward one end of the baseboard l0, a suitable stone 28 ismounted removably in a holder 29 secured to the baseboard ID, the stone28 being so disposed that when the needle clamp with the needle thereinis swung over the stone the stone will extend lengthwise in the samegeneral direction as that of the arc of a circle defined by the swingingof the needle holder back and forth as shown by the broken lines 3|! inFigure 1. Thus the entire length of the stone 28 is utilized for thehoning or sharpening operation of the needle.

As shown to advantage in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, eachhypodermic needle 3| is provided with a hub 32 provided with at leastone fiat face disposed at the bevel side of the needle so that when thefiat face of the hub 32 is turned downwardly, as shown in Figure 2, thebevel face of the needle point will be facing downwardly so as to engagethe upper surface of the stone 28 during the honing operation. It isimportant to have the bevel face in a true horizontal plane to uniformlyengage the stone 28. To effect this the device is provided with a bevelplane adjuster or with means for axially turning or adjusting the needleso that the bevel face will be directed in a truly horizontal anddownward position when secured in the clamp of the needle holder. Thisplane adjuster includes a rest 33 secured to the baseboard ID intransverse alignment with the pivoted post l9, preferably, and the restis substantially U-shaped with its rear flange of greater height thanthe front flange, and the rear flange having a socket opening 34 ofarcuate form adapted to receive the lower side of the sleeve I when itis swung away from the stone 28, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of thedrawings. Between the flanges of the rest 33 is pivotally mounted, on apin 35, the forward end of a flat strip or plate 36, the plate 36extending from the pivot pin 35 lengthwise of the baseboard I0 but in adirection away from the stone 23. The fiat face 36 is adapted to engagethe under flat side of the hub 32 of the needle, and the hub 32 togetherwith the shank 3| of the needle is adapted to be turned or twisted inthe clamp of the needle holder until the lower fiat side of the hubrests uniformly upon the upper surface of the plate 36. This determinesthe correct positioning of the beveled point of the needle forsharpening without changing the bevel face in any way.

The pivot pin 35 of the plate 33 is so relatively positioned withrespect to the clamp of the needle holder that the hub of the needle maybe seated upon the upper surface of the plate 35 in any adjustedposition of the needle on the needle holder by swinging the plate 35into the required angular position above the baseboard ID. Theadjustment of the plate or strip 36 must be in accordance with theadjustment of the sleeve I6 upon the bar I1, and after these positionsare correctly determined the registering set of openings 23 provided inthe needle holder correspond to the relative socket opening 31 providedin the baseboard H). The openings 31 extend through a reinforcingmetallic base strip 33 which is screwed or otherwise suitably secured tothe baseboard IB, as shown in Figure 2, and which may be an extensionfrom the rest 33. The socket openings 31 are adapted to selectivelyreceive therein the threaded shank of a post 39. The post 39 is ofpredetermined height so that when adjusted into a selected socketopening 31 the selected socket opening corresponds with the respectiveset of openings 20 in the needle holder, as shown in Figure 3, and thusthere is a definite relation between the adjustments of the needleholder and the pivoted plate 36.

In the present illustration the sleeve i5 is held in selected positionupon the bar by a locking pin 43 which engages through the innermost setof openings 23 in the needle holder, as shown in Figure 3. In Figure 2the post 39 is shown in the same relative position, the openings 20 and3! being arranged in corresponding serie from the rest 33 outwardly. Itwill be noted from Figure 1 that when the locking pin 43 is engaged inthe outermost set of openings 23 of the needle holder the other sets ofopenings 25 in the needle holder are not in proper registry so that thelooking pin could not interlock the sleeve and bar until the sleeve wasturned through a predetermined angle to bring the respective set ofopenings into registry. Thus there is provided a definite angularrelation between the sleeve and the bar for each bevel of the needle.

As shown in Figure 5 hypodermic needles are substantially standardizedwith a long bevel point as shown at 4|, a medium, short bevel point 42and a short bevel point 43. These standard needles are well known andconsequently the openings 2|] and 31 in the adjustable devices for theneedle are located, in accordance therewith but it is understood that inthe case of needles having special bevels other than standard, thehoning device may be made to resharpen or hone the needles by merelyrelatively disposing the openings 23 and 31 to effect the differences inadjustments.

After the needle is ground it may be found expedient to remove any roughedges at the inner wall of the needle, and this may be accomplished by asuitable reamer tool 44 which may be mounted in suitable brackets orclips 45 and 45 on the baseboard II] for convenient access in finishingthe honing operation.

In operation, a needle 3| is selected to be honed and the device isadjusted as to its needle holder and clamp, and also as to the planeadjuster for the bevel face of the needle point. This is effected asabove described by properly locating the post 39 beneath the pivotedplate 36 and insorting the lock pin 40 in the selected set of openings20 which correspond to the position of the post 39. The set screw 26 isreleased sufficiently to admit the shank of the needle 3| into thegroove 22 when the set screw is again tightened and the needle isloosely secured in the clamp. The needle holder is now swung down intothe seat 34 of the rest so as to properly dispose the hub 32 of theneedle at the upper side of the plate 36. As the post 39 is relativelylocated with respect to the adjustment of the needle holder, the hub 32will rest lightly upon the upper surface of the hub 36 and by twistingor turning the needle in its clamp the needle may be properly adjustedwith its bevel point downward, and the set screw 26 may now be tightenedwith a final turn. Using the knob or handle 21 of the set screw, theoperator grasps the handle and swings the needle holder upwardly on itspin [8 and thence laterally upon the pivoted post Hi to bring the pointof the needle into contact with the upper surface of the stone 28. By aback and forth movement over the stone 28, the needle is sharpened withbut a relatively few strokes, the bevel of the needle point ismaintained accurately and a smooth and even honing or grinding of thesurface is efiected.

After the operation the needle holder may be swung upwardly on the pivotpin l8 to inspect the point of the needle, and when the honing iscompleted the needle may be easily released from the holder and anotherneedle replaced. It of course is preferable to collect together needlesof one bevel and grind them as a group while the device is adjusted orset for that particular bevel. This of course saves time and facilitatesthe operation and accuracy of grinding of the needles.

The present disclosure of this invention is in reference to the presentday construction of needle which has a hub with a fiat side on the sameside of the needle which is ground and honed to provide the bevel point.The axially angular adjustment device of the needle may be modified tomeet various conditions of manufacture of the needles provided that thedevice may be in a predetermined adjustment so that no skill is requiredon the part of the user, It has been too frequently found thathypodermic needles have been destroyed and dulled by use of grinding andhoning machines requiring skill in adjusting the holders and rests forthe work. The primary purpose of this invention is to leave nothing toskill in the use of the device and to have all required adjustmentspredetermined by the particular angle of bevel of th needle. By the useof this invention the needles will last indefinitely and will always bein their original correct condition. If grooves and ridges occur in thesurface of the stone or abraiding element 28 as the outcome of repeatedsharpenings, the stone 28 may be reversed or overturned in the holder 29to present unused surface portions of the stone 28 to the bevel pointsof the needles.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A hone and bevel maintainer for hypodermic needles having a bevelpoint and a hub with a flat side, comprising a movable needle holderhaving an adjustable needle clamp thereon and adapted to be moved overthe surface of an abrading element, selective holding means for theclamp to secure the same in a predetermined position relative to theangle of the bevel point of the needle, a flat surface gauge for the hubof the needle, and adjustable supporting means for the gauge forselective adjustment relative to the clamp holding means for supportingthe gauge adjacent the fiat side of the hub in the selected angularposition of the needle, the parts being so constructed and arranged thatthe hub of the needle may be pressed with its flat side against the flatsurface of the gauge to axially turn the needle and present the bevelpoint thereof for fiat surface contact with the abrading element,

2. A needle bevel maintainer and hone, comprising a pivoted needleholder and an adjustable setter to engage the needle and determine thetrue axial position thereof in the holder with the bevel surface of thepoint facing downwardly, locking means for the holder to secure the sameat the required angle relative to the angle of the bevel point of theneedle, adjustable supporting means for said setter for axial adjustmentrelative to said locking means to support the setter in position foraxially setting the needle when in the correspondingly adjusted positionof the holder comprising a pivoted setter strip to engage the needle, abase element beneath the strip provided with spaced sockets, and a postselectively engageable in the socket openings and engaging the strip tosupport the setting strip and needle in the desired position, and anabrading element disposed Within the radius of the needle holder forhoning the bevel surface of the needle point upon the swinging of theneedle holder with the needle therein back and forth over theabradingelement.

3. A needle bevel maintainer and hone comprising a bar, a supportingpost pivotally connected to one end of the bar, a sleeve rotatablymounted on the other end portion of the bar and provided with a needleclamp for holding a needle on the bar, said bar and sleeve provided withregistering sets of openings disposed in axially angular relation, alocking pin adapted for insertion in a selected and registering set ofopenings to hold the sleeve in the desired angular position upon the barand to support a needle at the required angle for grinding, a pivotedsetting strip, means for adjusting the'setting strip at various inclinedpositions relative to the adjustment of the sleeve element bar forengaging the flat side of the needle hub and determining the angularposition of the bevel point of the needle for grinding.

4. A needle bevel maintainer and hone comprising a pivoted holder havinga clamp rotatably mounted thereon, said clamp having a series ofopenings therein and said holder having a corresponding series ofopenings therein disposed in axially angular offset position relative toeach other and arranged in circumferential alignment with the openingsin the clamp, said clamp adapted to engage the shank of a needle and theopenings in the clamp adapted to be selectively aligned with theopenings in the holder relative to the angle of the bevel point of theneedle to support the needle on the holder at the required angle forhoning, a pivoted setting strip adapted to receive the clamped needleover its pivoted end, a base element arranged beneath the strip andprovided with spaced sockets therein corresponding to the series ofopenings in the holder,

a locking pin for engagement in the selectively aligned openings of theholder and clamp to secure the needle in adjusted position, and a postselectively engageable in said socket openings in a positioncorresponding to that of the locking pin for supporting the same stripat an angle to receive thereagainst the flat side of the hub of theneedle and determine the downwardly facing position of the bevel pointof the needle for grinding.

5. A needle bevel maintainer and hone comprising a base, a bar pivotallymounted at one end upon the base near one edge thereof, a rest mountedon the base in transverse alignment with the pivotal mounting of thebar, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the bar adapted to seat in said rest,said sleeve having a series of openings therein and said bar having acorresponding series of openings therein, one series of said openingsbeing disposed in axially angular relation to one another and thecorresponding openings in the separate series adapted to be aligned insets upon the rotation of the sleeve on the bar, a fixed jaw on theouter end of the sleeve, a movable jaw pivotally mounted on the fixedjaw and adapted to hold the shank of a needle between the jaws, a setscrew carried by one jaw for binding engagement upon the other jaw toclamp the jaws upon the needle, said jaws with a needle therein and saidsleeve being adjustable upon said bar to theangle of the bevel point ofthe needle, a locking pin for engagement in the registering set ofopenings to hold the sleeve in predetermined adjusted position, asetting bar pivotally mounted on said rest and extending to one sidethereinfl said base having a series of sockets therein corresponding tothe openings in the sleeve and bar, a post selectively engageable insaid sockets to support the pivoted bar at an angle corresponding to theadjustment of the sleeve on the bar, and an abrading element carried bythe base at the opposite side of the rest adapted to receive the clampedand adjusted needle thereover when said pivoted bar With its sleeve andclamp is moved over the element.

6. A hone and bevel maintainer for hypodermic needles having a bevelpoint and a hub with a flat side, comprising a base, a bar pivotlymounted on said base, a sleeve rotatably mounted on the bar and having aseries of openings therein, said bar having a corresponding series ofopenings therein, one series of said openings being disposed in axiallyangular relation to one another and the corresponding openings in theseparate series adapted to be aligned in sets upon the rotation of thesleeve, a fixed jaw having a transverse groove on the outer end of thesleeve, a movable jaw pivotly mounted on the fixed jaw and adapted tohold the shank of a needle between the jaws and in said groove, clampingmeans for said jaws, said jaws being adjusted upon said bar to the angleof the beveled point of the needle, holding means to hold the sleeve inpredetermined adjusted position, a fiat surface gauge for the hub. ofthe needle, adjustable supporting means for the gauge for selectiveadjustment relative to the clamped jaws for supporting the gaugeadjacent the flat side of the hub in the selected angularly position ofthe needle, and an abrading element carried by the base and adapted toreceive the clamped and adjusted needle thereover when said pivoted barwith its sleeve and clamp is moved over the element.

7. A hone and bevel maintainer for hypodermic needles having a bevelpoint, comprising a base, a bar pivotally mounted on the base, a sleeverotatably mounted on the bar and having a series of openings therein,said bar having a corresponding series of openings therein, one seriesof said openings being disposed in axially angular relation to the otherand the corresponding openings in the separate series being adapted tobe aligned in sets upon rotation of the sleeve, a clamp carried by thesleeve and having a groove to receive the shank of a needle and supportit in a predetermined position relative to the sleeve, a locking memberfor engagement in the selectively aligned openings of the holder andclamp to secure the needle in adjusted position, means to set the needlein the desired axial position, and an abrading element carried by thebase and adapted to receive the clamped and adjusted needle thereon whensaid pivoted bar with its sleeve and clamp is moved thereover.

JU'LES G. KURTZ.

